Seven Years
by gleeklover527
Summary: A phone call has forced Quinn Fabray to come home after seven years.  She never expected to see Santana Lopez like this.


It had been a week and a half ago since Rachel called. Her worst fear coming true. Santana had been shot. Nearly killed in the line of duty. Quinn exited the airport with a sigh. She had left this place 7 years ago with no plans to ever return. She talked to her mother enough to get away with never coming to visit. Judy was much more understanding now since she had been freed of Russell Fabray. The blonde looked for a cab and after five minutes of no luck realized that she wasn't in LA anymore. Cabs didn't fly by every few seconds looking for a patron. Dialing the familiar number she asked that they come pick her up and drive her. She'd waited long enough.

Noah Puckerman was a little more than pissed and if his wife's expression was any indication she felt the same way. He had been at home with Rachel when it happened. They were newly married and he had taken a day off just to enjoy some of the newlywed time that all of his fellow cops assured him didn't last long (that and Rachel was the best sex ever). The urgent call from work had sent them both into a tailspin and Puck couldn't remember the last time he's cried that hard in his entire life. Sitting in the lobby outside of his partner/best friend's room he gave Rachel another look. Oh yeah she was pissed.

Her phone call to Quinn had been a little awkward to say the least but she thought the ex cheerleader had a right to know that Santana had been injured. But apparently the consideration she had given Quinn had not been returned. It had been 10 days and there was no sign of their former glee club mate. Kurt and Mercedes had shown up twice since it happened, Finn and Brittany called daily, Sam had been called out on a house fire or he would be sitting beside Noah. The sense of family was still there after all these years. But the one person who should have shown up, who should have been on the first flight back had yet to show up at all. Shaking her head she realized she was optimistic for nothing. Quinn had always been selfish why change now?

Her entrance drew the attention of the two people practically standing guard outside of the room the Latina occupied. By the looks on their faces she could tell they were mad, upset, angry, and livid even. Taking a deep breath she came to stand in front of the couple she hadn't seen in years.

"Is this her room?"

"You would've known that already if you'd bothered to show up or call in the past 10 days." Rachel snapped

"Rach…" Puck warned. And it surprised Quinn that the former bad boy was now the responsible one in the relationship, attempting to keep the situation under control.

"No, Noah I think she deserves to hear it."

"And while that may be true," He shot her a look and she tried to ignore the chill she felt, "Santana would want to know she came. Go on in."

With a nod of her head Quinn slowly opened the door revealing a sleeping Santana. She was hooked up to monitors and IV's everywhere. Shaking her head she began to make her way back out of the room.

"Seven years and I don't even get a 'glad you didn't die'." Quinn's eyes widened when she turned around and saw a fully awake Santana. Opening her mouth and closing it several times the blonde managed to get away from the door and come to stand in the center of the room.

"How did you know it was me?"

"Your perfume. You've smelled the same since high school." The response was simple but so true that Quinn's eyes closed at her words

"How are you?" Santana raised her eyebrow at the question and looked down at herself before answering.

"Since I'm not dead I guess that's a positive right?"

"What happened?" Quinn began to take cautious steps toward the side of the bed wanting to get closer to the woman lying in the bed.

"There was a bad guy. I was quick, he was quicker." The shrug of her shoulders did nothing to ease the blonde's mind.

"Where'd he shoo…shoo.."

"Shoot me? Right under the heart."

"Oh…"

"I'm surprised you came."

"Why?"

"Well you left me 7 years ago and told me you'd never come back." Santana's eyes took on a darker shade and Quinn immediately recognized it as pain.

"That doesn't mean that I stopped loving you."

"Well it sure as hell felt like it."

"I do love you."

"Woman like you loves a lot of things in life ice cream, puppies, bacon."

"I deserve that."

"You deserve more but bein' shot kinda took it out of me."

"Rachel called when it happened in case you were wondering." The blonde had finally made it to her ex best friend's side.

"I'm glad you were able to come out 10 days after to make sure I made it."

"It was so hard to come back here." She admitted sheepishly

"I'm sorry to have inconvenienced you."

"That's not what I meant."

"Right."

"I did come though San."

"Yeah after 10 days. You know at least Brittany called me. She has every day since I've been in here. Even if she couldn't talk to me she'd send her love by either Rach or Puckerman" Santana stared her down and when the ex-cheerio by her bed flinched she knew she'd struck a nerve.

"She's the love of your life right? She should be calling."

"Really? She's the love of my life, huh?"

"I'm sure Brittany was right there to pick up the pieces after I left."

"She's married…to Finn. They've got three kids and they live in Cleveland. And just to let you know the only one picking up the pieces after you _broke_ me was Jack Daniels." Her words practically suffocated the girl standing by her.

"Come on Santana I know that there was someone you wanted to pick up those pieces."

"Actually it was you I wanted. Not that you care to know that."

"I just came to make sure you were okay. Now that I know that you are I can go." Quinn walked toward the door

"Go ahead! Leave! It's what you do best isn't it?"

"Screw you."

"I wish. I haven't had sex in 7 years." When Quinn's head whipped around she expected some sign that Santana was kidding but found none.

"Bull."

Letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding Santana refused to meet Quinn's eyes, "You left and my world fell apart. Quinn, you didn't even tell me what I'd done wrong. For 7 years I've wondered, replayed it all in my mind. Trying to figure out where we went wrong. I've been in love with you since I was 17 years old. 6 years. I had you for 6 years and I lost you for 7. Now you want to walk out that door and never tell me why you did it in the first place. That's bull."

Quinn ran her fingers through her hair. She had let it grow out again and the nervous habit of running her fingers through it still showed after all these years, "I was so in love with you, so sure that you were my forever. I still know to this day that you're my only shot at a happy forever. But I ran. I got scared and I ran out the door. I thought I could see you and leave. Kiss you on the forehead while you were asleep, whisper I love you and run away again."

"Then do it."

"What?"

"Do what you came to do." The Latina waited patiently never breaking eye contact with her former lover as she came to her. When the pair of lips touched her forehead her entire body became a fire. One touch and it all flooded back.

"I love you," A whisper against tan skin that would be unheard if you weren't on the receiving end of the phrase. Pulling away the blonde was stopped by a hand on her wrist.

"Don't leave Q." A sob erupted from Quinn and Santana could feel her own tears.

"I can't stay."

"Yes you can."

"No I can't."

"If you love me. If you honestly love me then...then nothing else matters. Quinn I love you. Everyone in this piece of shit town knows how much I love you. Just stay. Don't run away from me."

"S…"

"Look at me," Waiting until their eye contact resumed Santana continued, "You're my forever too Q."

Silently Quinn crawled into the left side of the bed curling into Santana's side, "I'm not gonna leave you this time."

"I know."

"How?"

"Because you can't bail before forever." Leaning down the Latina captured the other girl's lips in a short kiss.


End file.
